All of this is unfolding on screens only days after former EastEnders producer John Yorke stepped in on an interim basis to replace Sean O'Connor, who left abruptly last week to focus on film projects after a controversial year in charge.

According to the tabloids, this shift in power has left Dean fearing for his job since John Yorke was working on the soap when Robbie Jackson was previously written out in 2003 — but the actor himself says nothing could be further from the truth.

"This is the type of rubbish Robbie used to sweep up in the market," Dean joked in a statement to Digital Spy. "I'm really looking forward to working with John."

Earlier in the week, EastEnders was left with little choice but to make a similar denial when speculation ran rampant in the tabloids that John Yorke was planning a major cast cull.

"[Reports of a cast cull are] pure speculation. It is far too early for any decisions to have been made," a spokesperson for EastEnders told us.

John Yorke's history of working on EastEnders dates all the way back to the 1990s. He previously served as executive producer on EastEnders between 2000 and 2003, and continued looking after the show during his years as controller of BBC Drama.